“The Ultimate Finesser” Chris Bey challenged Rich Swann for the Impact World Championship Saturday night at Final Resolution. He was seemingly in two places at the same time as he also competed in New Japan’s Super J-Cup tournament that night as well.
Bey recently took part in an interview with Wrestling Headlines. During the discussion, Bey was asked about the Impact and AEW partnership and mentioned some potential dream match-ups he’d like to see.
“I’ve seen a lot of people post stuff like they wanted to see me versus Kenny, then they wanted to see me versus Darby Allin, or they think because of the charisma through the roof they wanna see me and Ricky Starks,” Bey said before revealing the dream match he wants.
“There’s one in particular that stands out to me that I need to check off my bucket list personally because it all started a little over a year ago, but I need…for the sake of my story…I need Dashing Chris Bey versus Dashing Cody Rhodes. That’s the one that I need.”
Earlier this year, Bey was mentioned by Rhodes as someone AEW may have their eyes on.
“I’ve been doing a deep-dive on YouTube, on a guy named Chris Bey,” Cody said on a media call back in February. “He’s a prime example of somebody who could potentially be good for our singles division. We haven’t spoken to him or anything of that nature, but I’m sure this call will have some sort of… he’ll hear about it in some capacity.”
“A night of history man. A night of history indeed,” Bey said about this Saturday. “It’s a weird world we live in. It’s a great time in professional wrestling where people are able to show up on multiple platforms in one night. It creates more buzz…it gets the fans more interested and it makes the realm of possibilities just endless.”
“So for me it was great to represent IMPACT Wrestling in the Super J-Cup because not only does the tournament have so much history behind it but also I feel like I’m that guy whose gonna be able to now crack the door open a little bit more for anyone else who wants to work between these two companies.”
The full interview with Chris Bey can be read here.
As promised, Sting made an appearance on AEW Dynamite for a second straight week, but this time he spoke.
Sting interrupted an interview segment with Tony Schiavone, Arn Anderson, and Cody Rhodes during the first hour of the show. Tony gave Sting the microphone and then they hugged it out. Sting thanked Tony for everything he’s done and did the iconic, “It’s Sting,” introduction.
Rhodes welcomed Sting back and said that he’s been waiting to share the ring with him for a very long time. Sting said that he’s not here for Rhodes just yet. He pointed to Darby Allin, who was in the grandstands, and said that there’s something familiar about this place.
He said that he’s in the jungle and the Stinger has come full circle as he’s back on TNT again.
Sting said that Cody knows everything that goes on in AEW, but one thing is for sure and that’s nothing is sure with him. However, he does know that he’s signed with AEW and he does plan on being close with the fans for a long time.
He plans to be here for a long time, but the way he chooses to play is his business. Sting added that he would see the kid around.
Of course, Sting made his promotional debut in a surprise fashion following a tag team match last week. It was announced shortly thereafter that he had signed a multi-year deal with the promotion.
AEW star QT Marshall recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The Nightmare Family member discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, including teaming with Dustin Rhodes in All Elite Wrestling.
“There’s a lot of nepotism and stuff that goes along with that, being friends with Cody” QT Marshall began on the podcast. “I always feel like I just, I need to prove myself. Even though like I’ve been training in wrestling for 16 years and I don’t really need to prove myself? But to certain fans? I feel like I always do. I always have to justify why I’m here.”
QT Marshall also discussed the Bunkhouse match that he took part in recently. The Natural Nightmares took on The Butcher and The Blade on Dynamite in a bloody affair. Marshall hit a massive elbow drop during the match from the top of a ladder, something he discussed on the Talk Is Jericho podcast.
QT Marshall on The Bunkhouse Match
“What could I do…that if I never wrestle again? What could I do that would live forever? The night before I was just at the building looking over stuff, you know as I do for the production side of things. I saw a humongous ladder and I was like, ‘what if I jump off this ladder?’ And then I climbed up when no one was here, I just climbed up and I looked down. I literally yelled to one of the production guys and was like, ‘hide this ladder, because this one is way too big!”‘
Did you watch the Bunkhouse match on Dynamite? Are you impressed with the tag team of QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes? Let us know in the comments
AEW star and new TNT Champion Darby Allin recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former EVOLVE and Independent star discussed a number of topics during his time on the programme. These would include winning the TNT title from Cody Rhodes.
Darby Allin defeated Rhodes at the Full Gear PPV to become the new TNT Champion and the ‘Face of TNT.’ Allin has previously discussed his turbulent life in past interviews and why he chose to live a Straight Edge lifestyle. Beyond that, Darby Allin had to struggle as a ‘starving artist’ type to get ahead in his pursuit of a pro wrestling career. From the interview it’s clear that it is something he never intends on forgetting.
Darby Allin on his Roots
The skate, hardcore punk and sXe ethos is underpinned by a ‘don’t forget your roots’ mentality. Darby Allin lives by this mantra. “Leading up to the pay per view? I purposely slept in my car. [That was] instead of sleeping in the hotel that they got for us” Darby would reveal on Busted Open Radio.
“I wanted to remind myself of just how sh*tty things were. So I slept in there and the weather in Jacksonville is still so much more muggy than other places. It was just a reminder to myself. You don’t need to forget where you came from just because this week’s huge. To keep it? It makes you want to fight more. So now I’m grateful to have this house with 13 acres and a wrestling ring downstairs. [Also] skate ramps and a bunch of crazy sh*t.”
Cody Rhodes says he plans to retire from in-ring action in 5 years when he’ll be 40-years-old. In a recent interview with the Bleacher Report, Rhodes stated that he has political aspirations which could include running for the Senate in his home state of Georgia.
“I have a ton of desire to do more acting so long as it doesn’t conflict with my job here,” Rhodes said. “I’m 35, and I said I only wanted to wrestle for five more years. I have political aspirations. I would love to run for the Senate in the great state of Georgia. I want to help with the sphere of influence I have created. I always say if you do the work, it will pay off. That is why I love Brandi. She is so incredibly hardworking, and we have to remind each other to be present often, but when we are it’s very special.”
Rhodes recently lost the TNT Championship at AEW Full Gear to Darby Allin. He recently regained the ability to use the in-ring last name of “Rhodes” after a trademark battle with WWE. The 35-year-old had been wrestling as just Cody since leaving Vince McMahon’s company in 2016.
Darby Allin was back in the spotlight when he challenged Cody Rhodes for the AEW TNT Title.
It happened at Saturday’s (November 7, 2020) AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. It should be noted that for the first time in AEW history, Cody went with the “Rhodes” name after getting the trademark rights to it.
The match featured Rhodes controlled the majority of the match and worked over the left arm of Allin. Rhodes taunted Allin throughout the match. Cody hit a Cross Rhodes off the top rope for 2. They traded roll-ups and Allin stole the victory to win the title.
Rhodes took a hiatus from AEW after the August 22nd episode of Dynamite when Brodie Lee crushed Rhodes to win the TNT Title. After the match, The Dark Order beat down Rhodes. It wasn’t until the September 30th episode of Dynamite Cody returned to AEW and attacked Lee and The Dark Order. Rhodes won back the TNT Title from Lee on the October 7th edition when Rhodes was victorious in a Dog Collar match.
The following week saw Rhodes successfully retain the TNT Title over Orange Cassidy as it went to a time limit draw. All Elite Wrestling announced that Allin would challenge for the title at Full Gear despite Rhodes being booked against Cassidy in a Lumberjack match on the October 28th Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling star Wardlow recently appeared on Vickie Guerrero’s Excuse Me! Podcast. The ‘bodyguard’ of Maxwell Jacob Friedman discussed a number of topics during his time on the show.
These topics included his first match on AEW television against Cody Rhodes and MJF’s match against Chris Jericho this weekend at Full Gear. Full Gear takes place tonight (Saturday 7th November) and is available to purchase on FITE TV (for international viewers). The PPV is available on B/R Live in the United States.
Wardlow on First AEW Match
“My first match, for those that don’t know, my very first televised match was against Cody Rhodes” Wardlow began on the podcast. “[That was] in the main event, in the first ever steel cage match [on AEW programming].”
Wardlow would then discuss the pressure of being put in that position. It seems as though AEW have huge plans for the star, with his size and ability leaning towards him becoming a main event level talent down the road.
“And it…you literally couldn’t have put any more pressure on me” Wardlow continued. “But that’s when I thrive. I love pressure, I love that feeling. I’d known that I was ready for TV for a long time. I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m perfect. I still have a lot to work on. But at the end of the day? I was…I was ready for TV.”
MJF’s ‘bodyguard’ would finish by definitively stating that he was ‘always’ ready for a platform as big as TNT. “I’ve always felt ready and prepared. I think I’m right where I belong.”
Do you think that AEW has big plans for Wardlow? Is he a potential future AEW Champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments
AEW President Tony Khan recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Khan would discuss a number of topics on the show involving the Full Gear PPV this weekend. Full Gear takes place on Saturday 7th November and is available to purchase on FITE TV (for international viewers). And B/R Live in the United States.
One of the topics discussed was the TNT Open Challenge that has taken place on Wednesday Night Dynamite over the past year, whilst Cody was TNT Champion. Tony Khan would reveal that Cody had a ‘wish list’ for the matches, and some of the competitors Khan didn’t want anywhere near his television show.
Whilst Khan did not specifically name anyone in particular, he made it clear that he is the final say when it comes to what is presented on Dynamite.
Tony Khan on TNT Open Challenge
“When Cody and I were doing the TNT Open Challenge and planning it out? He came in with a list of people he’d like to wrestle” Khan began on Busted Open. “There were a lot of people on the list; and there were some people that I didn’t want wrestling on Dynamite on that list, frankly.”
“Then there were some really good names on there” Khan would continue. “And the two that really stood out to me were Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston.”
Khan would then discuss Starks and Kingston further, touting their success in AEW. “Those are the two that came in and ended up getting hired and being successful. [Those were] in addition to some of the other ones. The first [open challenge] one we did was with Jungle Boy.”
Are you looking forward to Full Gear this weekend? Do you think that Darby Allin could end up beating Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship? Let us know in the comments
News broke yesterday that WWE has abandoned its attempt to renew its former trademark of the name “Cody Rhodes” seemingly opening the door for Cody to use his old ring name. According to comments he made recently on a media call to promote Full Gear, however, Cody is saying he plans on sticking with just his first name for wrestling purposes.
Cody did say that he is excited about being able to use Cody Rhodes again. He will only use the name for 3rd party projects, however. He also noted that there were no hard-feelings between him and WWE regarding the trademark.
John Pollock has been live Tweeting from the call.
On the AEW media call, Cody indicates he won't likely be using the "Rhodes" name for wrestling purposes but more likely, for third-party & other projects.
Cody didn't go into details but said it occurred without any hard feelings on either side regarding the resolution.
Also during the call, Cody noted that he will still abide by the stipulation that says he can never challenge for the AEW World Championship again.
Cody doubles down on the stipulation from Full Gear '19 that he will never challenge for the AEW championship and won't re-appear as the Midnight Rider to get around it
There have been rumours and speculation regarding another AEW show airing on TNT. Cody confirmed that the 2nd show won’t simply be AEW Dark and it won’t be an extra hour added onto Dynamite either.
Cody once again clarifies that the "third hour" that is part of the new TNT deal will NOT be extending Dynamite to three hours – and the third hour won't be AEW Dark.
Cody will look to defend the TNT Championship against Darby Allin Saturday night at Full Gear. It will be their 4th singles match in AEW, with the first match going to a time-limit draw and Cody winning the next two.
All Elite Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley has responded to Cody’s recent claims that the TNT Championship is “THE most important belt of the last year.”
Cody Rhodes previously sent out a tweet with an image of the AEW TNT Championship. He accompanied it with a caption that proclaimed it not only the most important belt of the last year but that it was “THE belt in wrestling.”
Jon Moxley was made aware of Cody’s recent proclamation during an interview with TV Insider. The current AEW World Champion was dismissive of Cody’s words, arguing that statements like that are why he doesn’t “do Twitter.”
“That’s why I don’t do Twitter,” Moxley said. “Whatever, dude. I’ll classify that statement by him [Cody] as inaccurate. That’s why I don’t play Twitter games.”
Cody, who recently shared he can once again be referred to as Cody Rhodes, is set to defend his TNT Championship at AEW Full Gear. He faces off against Darby Allin. Meanwhile, Jon Moxley will compete in a personal ‘I Quit’ matchup against his former friend Eddie Kingston for the AEW World Championship.
AEW’s next pay-per-view, Full Gear, takes place on November 7, 2020, from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
Following the end of last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, Cody grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd in attendance. He revealed in a post-Dynamite promo that he can once again be referred to as Cody Rhodes.
“As of this morning, I no longer just have one name. And whether Justin Roberts says it or not, it feels really good to be Cody Rhodes again!”
His statement was met with cheers from those watching as a chant of ‘Cody Rhodes’ broke out amongst them. His promo comes in the wake of WWE dropping its attempts to re-register its trademark to the name ‘Cody Rhodes.’
WWE actually held the rights to the ‘Cody Rhodes’ name from 2009 until 2019. However, WWE failed to renew its rights in time, leading Cody to attempt trademarking it himself. This attempt, however, was rejected.
He has previously shared his thoughts on WWE holding the trademark, explaining how the entire affair wasn’t as “sultry/scandalous as reported. It’s just business. […] Trying to license me is flattering, but it doesn’t stop this train from moving. No grudge.”
Cody Rhodes is scheduled to defend his TNT Championship this Saturday at AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view. Accompanied Arn Anderson, he faces off against Darby Allin.
AEW Full Gear takes place on November 7 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
Cody Rhodes may have just scored a significant victory in the ongoing tug-of-war between him and WWE over various trademarks. WWE has recently canceled its attempt to re-register its trademark of the name “Cody Rhodes”.
This potentially opens up the door for Cody to trademark the name for himself, something he has been attempting to do since last year.
WWE held the rights to the name “Cody Rhodes” from 2009 until 2019. The company failed to renew the trademark in time, however. Following this, Cody filed to trademark the term the next day on April 14th, 2020. His attempt to trademark the name was rejected, however.
According to the website HeelbyNature, WWE filed a notice of cancellation with The United States Patent and Trademark Office on November 2nd. It was finalized earlier this morning.
Earlier this year, Cody commented on WWE’s trademarking of the name.
“It’s not as sultry/scandalous as reported. It’s just business. They’ve seen the same data we have, and they know they can make big money off the brand(even though it’s not in their house). Trying to license me is flattering, but it doesn’t stop this train from moving. No grudge,” Cody Tweeted.
Recently, Cody abandoned trademark filing for two trademarks that were both opposed by WWE. Those were for the WCW PPV name “Slamboree” and the War Games-associated term of “The Match Beyond”.
Cody Rhodes has tried to make the AEW TNT Title as special as any title that the promotion has to offer. On Monday, it took things up a notch and no doubt got fans talking with a post on his Twitter account. According to the All Elite Wrestling executive, this is the most important belt in all of wrestling over the past year.
Rhodes will make his next title defense against Orange Cassidy this Wednesday night on Dynamite.
If he can get past the fan-favorite star, then he will defend it against Darby Allin at the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event on November 7th from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. Rhodes was the inaugural champion before dropping it to Brodie Lee only to win it back after a brief absence from television.
AEW Dynamite Card
TNT Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Orange Cassidy
Wardlow vs. Hangman Page – AEW Semi-Finals World Title Eliminator Tournament Match
Kenny Omega vs. Penta El Zero M – AEW Semi-Finals World Title Eliminator Tournament Match
Inner Circle Town Hall Meeting to decide if MJF will join the group
AEW EVP and Star Cody Rhodes recently tweeted an infographic with some of the company’s major stats in the United Kingdom.
All Elite Wrestling is currently broadcast on ITV4, a channel that is much more widely accessible on Freeview than WWE is on BT Sport (a paid channel). Cody wrote “this is some really positive/staggering data & research about our friends across the pond! @ITV / @AEW. Thanks to our incredible fans for such a successful first year of #AEWDynamite. We can’t wait to take the team over and wrestle there.”
Cody Rhodes on AEW’s UK Success
Here’s some of the bullet points from the infographic:
AEW Dynamite is beating the first-run broadcast of all its competitors in the UK for audience volume
Dynamite’s audience is 5 times that of NXT, double that of SmackDown and almost double of RAW
It is also almost double the audience of Impact Wrestling; which had been airing in the same slot as Dynamite and also free-to-air channel.
Dynamite benefits from reaching considerably more people than any of its competitors.
Full episodes of Dynamite on ITV4 have reached 2.8m people, based on five plus consecutive minutes of viewing.
This is some really positive/staggering data & research about our friends across the pond!@ITV / @AEW ????
Thanks to our incredible fans for such a successful first year of #AEWDynamite
Cody recaptured the TNT title from Brodie Lee on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite. He was the inaugural holder of the title and defended it 8 times before dropping it to Brodie Lee in August.
Cody sat down for an interview with AEW’s Canadian broadcast partner, TSN, and talked about the success of the title. He even teased that the promotion could introduce a “TSN title” somewhere down the line.
“It’s really so rare and makes me really happy to be partners with our partners here in the States and in Canada – there should be a TSN title now that we’re talking!” Cody said to TSN.
Cody On The Success Of The TNT Title
He also spent time talking about the success of the TNT title. He noted that they never envisioned it as a mid-card belt.
“It was never intended to be middle of the pack and a lot of people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a workhorse belt’ or ‘Oh, it’s a television belt.’ No, it’s this. And the reality is, it’s none of those things. It’s the first time a network partner wanted a title in their own likeness and looked at a bunch of people they thought would be great fits for it. I can’t wait to tell the full story of it one day.”
Cody also said that the title has exceeded the expectations that had for it.
“I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s superseded what we anticipated and I think it’s superseded the general expectation,” Cody said. “I don’t want to blame people if they want to put identities on things before they happen and that’s just because WWE has been unopposed for 20 years, so they might be used to how WWE does things, but the TNT title was never going to be a midcard title.”
TNT Title Statistics
Cody become the inaugural champion at Double or Nothing 2020 by defeating Lance Archer in the finals of a single-elimination tournament. He then defended it 8 times against Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, Ricky Starks, Jake Hager, Sonny Kiss, Eddie Kingston, Warhorse and Scorpio Sky.
Brodie Lee defeated Cody for the belt on the Saturday Night Dynamite special in August. Lee then successfully defended the belt against Dustin Rhodes and Orange Cassidy. He would then drop it back to Cody on October 7th.
Cody fought to a time limit draw with Orange Cassidy this week. They will face each other again in 2 weeks.
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has addressed the feedback and criticism the promotion has received from its fans.
He confessed to TVInsider how he has always been open to feedback and has actively sought it out in the past:
“I wanted to hear what they liked, what they didn’t, what worked and what they thought didn’t work and why. I still very much stand by that.”
Cody explained how a “background noise” exists on certain social media platforms before admitting to a personal managerial mistake he’s working on remedying.
“One of the mistakes I made in management early on is I talked a lot. I talked a lot in terms of the product will be this. This is how the product will be presented. I was basically trying to frame up what our goals were for the company. But when you talk so much, the show almost draws the ire of many fans.”
Cody On AEW’s Social Media Reports
According to Cody, AEW has a full data report of social mentions provided after every show. He claimed how this report helps them to discover “credible thoughts” shared by fans worldwide.
However, this report also allows them to “[…] see the hurt WWE fan that is pretty much going to say what they want to try and draw attention. A lot of times we have given them attention. We’re learning slowly and surely that Twitter is really aging out in terms of its value and what it can offer. That’s what I learned in year one. Talk less as a member of management and show more.”
Cody Rhodes is set to defend his AEW TNT Championship against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.
Cody shared his thoughts whilst appearing on The Rich Eisen Show. He joined the show ahead of his TNT Championship defense on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.
He noted how “When I get around marketing guys or new wrestling fans, who want to know what makes us different, authenticity is always the No. 1 thing I say.”
Cody pointed to the past to strengthen his argument. He highlighted names like his father, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Cody stated that the connection between these wrestlers and their fans helped them stand out and succeed.
“Back in the 70s and 80s, when wrestling fans were rabid for the sport, everyone thinks it is because they thought it was real. However, I disagree with that notion. Dusty, Hogan, and Flair succeeded because of the connection fans made to their characters.”
Cody explained how the only way to achieve this genuine connection is by being truly “[…] authentic in your interview, your ring work, and everything else.” He is confident that this commitment to authenticity is what helps AEW separate itself from its competition.
Cody Rhodes is set to defend his AEW TNT Championship against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.
AEW Dynamite is 1-year old. One thing Cody Rhodes promises will be different about the 2nd year of Dynamite is that he’s going to talk less. He spoke to USA Today recently about this and other topics.
“As an executive, in the first year I spoke way too much,” Cody said. He would contiue to say that he tried to give AEW an identity in the media.
“I wanted to really promote the brand, I wanted to pound the pavement, but in speaking I kind of confined our product. I tried to give an identity to a product (when the) identity is evolving, its identity is growing,” Cody continued.
Cody Rhodes On AEW’s Identity Evolving
He would continue to say that AEW will have a different identity over the next year.
“AEW is going to have a different identity in Year One than it has in Year Two, and we want that identity and that flavor profile to improve. But to say it’s one thing would be incorrect because wrestling is something that there’s no one specific way to do it right. There’s many different ways to do it right.”
Cody then talked about some of what he said being taken out of context. These comments then seemed to drive tension between AEW and WWE fans.
“I spoke too much as an executive in my efforts to promote the brand and a lot of this kind of click-bait journalism (followed) in areas where what I said was taken out of context and might have rubbed people the wrong way or might have created more tension between an NXT fan and an AEW fan. A little less talk from me, a little more action, is one of my goals (going forward).”
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the Dog Collar match from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Cody Rhodes reclaimed his TNT Championship against Brodie Lee in the Dog Collar bout. Pro wrestling legend Greg Valentine, who had an outstanding Dog Collar match against Roddy Piper in 1983, was ringside for the contest.
Bully Ray would state that his ‘favorite’ part of the match was Valentine being ringside. Ray would praise both Valentine and AEW commentator Jim Ross for selling the story of Valentine ‘re-living’ his Starrcade ’83 match against Piper whilst watching Cody/Brodie.
Bully Ray on Cody Rhodes vs Brodie Lee
“My favorite part of the match? Greg Valentine” Bully ray began on the show. “Watching Valentine watch the match with his subtle facial expressions? It told such a story, watching Valentine relive his match with Piper. “You can see it in his eyes. You could see it in his face.”
“And then that got backed up by JR” Bully Ray continued. “JR told me that Valentine was reliving his dog collar match through Cody and Brodie. That instantly, for me, put tons of credibility on that match. Greg Valentine decided to come off the beach for 10 minutes to show up to watch a dog collar match, a match that he helped make famous.”
Bully Ray would finish by saying how the ‘moment’ helped to make the match. Ray would also be critical of a couple of elements of the TNT Championship match. “To me that little moment in time means so much. Yes the performance from Cody and Brodie was great. Yes, they did a good job with the match. [But] I thought they could have done a better job with the finish, because I didn’t like Cody just getting up right after a Dragon German Suplex on his head. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but whatever.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
Cody Rhodes is once again the AEW TNT Champion. Just two weeks after he made his return to AEW television, he took on Brodie Lee for the title.
The Dog Collar Match took place in the second hour of Wednesday’s Dynamite episode. AEW brought in Greg “The Hammer” Valentine to sit at ringside as he had a legendary Dog Collar Match with Roddy Piper.
Rhodes won the match with Cross Rhodes. After the match, he was joined by Dustin, Brandi, and Arn Anderson to do a promo with Tony Schiavone.
Cody thanked the fans and said that there is no feeling in the world to compete in front of a live crowd. He said that he has spent the time since he was 15-years-old to this moment to try to reach and feel the love from fans. He said that he’s sticking with the fans until the bitter end.
He said that it’s his life’s worth to be a pro wrestler and wants to defend the title. He was asked who he’d defend the title against and Orange Cassidy walked out to give a thumb’s up. Rhodes responded with the same gesture and the match was official for next week.
Cody Rhodes gave some kind words to Chris Jericho on social media.
It’s been over one year since AEW launched and the biggest signing thus far has been Jericho.
Rhodes took to his Instagram account to comment on the importance of Jericho to AEW. Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite marked a celebration of Jericho’s 30th anniversary in the pro wrestling business. Rhodes wrote the following:
“Chris Jericho celebrates 30 years in our game! Congratulations Chris. He undoubtedly is a crucial piece of the great puzzle that makes up AEW. There’s no denying that. AEW simply doesn’t happen without him. His ability on the microphone, his abilities in the ring, and his attitude have helped countless wrestlers and entertained millions. We may not be the best of friends…or even friends at all…but he’s challenged me to be a better competitor and a better executive. “Thank you for challenging me” is one of the last texts I have from him; let’s continue to challenge eachother and help build this culture and better our wrestling world. Happy 30 Chris! #aew @allelitewrestling @aewontnt @chrisjerichofozzy.”
Jericho took a big chance when he decided to sign with AEW. He did so in early 2019 before AEW had signed a television deal with WarnerMedia that wouldn’t come until the debut episode of Dynamite in October 2019.
Since that time, Jericho has been AEW’s biggest star and inaugural World Heavyweight Champion.
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed Cody Rhodes’ recent ‘turn’ on AEW television. The Big Guy commented on The Nightmare Family leader on the Shooting Blanks Wrestling Report podcast.
Cody came back to AEW Dynamite following the brutal beatdown by Brodie Lee and The Dark Order. Rhodes then returned sporting jet black hair and a darker demeanour overall.
“I think Cody’s gonna be his best as a heel on AEW television” Ryback began on the podcast. “I really think so, and having some people around him? I see him really elevating himself further, and he’s smart enough to know…there’s always a reason with Cody on doing things, you know? He’s very creative.”
“Changing his hair to a darker colour? Having that more sinister look? That’s for a purpose” Ryback would continue. “Whether it plays out this week or in two months? There’s something behind it.”
Ryback would also discuss how ‘time off’ is universally a good reason to make tweaks to your on screen persona. “Anytime you leave television, for like at least a month I would say? You could do it in less time but it’s better the longer you’re out with these kinds of things where you can, You can use it as an opportunity to come back in and put some tweaks on your character.”
The Big Guy would finish by praising Cody further, saying how integral he is to the overall AEW presentation. “He’s such a huge part of that show. The show’s better with him figured in. Overall they need every name on it to help continue to elevate everybody else.”
Do you agree with Ryback? Do you think that Cody Rhodes will thrive as a heel in AEW? Let us know in the comments
Cody Rhodes has made his return to AEW television. He did so during Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
It happened from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place after Brodie Lee had successfully retained the TNT Title over Orange Cassidy.
Rhodes changed his hair color from blonde to black. He attacked members of The Dark Order while Lee retreated and ended the segment by stating tall.
The AEW executive has been off television since the August 22nd episode of Dynamite when he dropped the TNT Title to Lee. It was a one-sided dominant performance by Lee. After the match, Rhodes was stretchered out of the arena due to the damage that he suffered only to be attacked by members of the Dark Order.
Brody Lee cut a fiery promo on Cody and challenged him to a dog collar match.
Cody was kept off television for five weeks to sell the injuries he and the rest of the Nightmare Family suffered at the hands of the Dark Order. The hiatus came at an interesting time as it may have something to do with STARZ Heels series going into production in Georgia. Stephen Amell, who stars in the series, specifically asked Cody to take part in the project when casting was announced last year.
Cody Rhodes has again been denied a trademark for the nickname made famous by his father, Dusty Rhodes. This was his 3rd attempt at trademarking “The American Dream” and the 3rd time it has been rejected.
The US Patent and Trademark Office shows Cody attempted to trademark the term on June 25th, 2019.
According to documents obtained by HeelByNature, Cody filed for a reconsideration of the rejected trademark application recently. The filing was again rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The following statement was attached to the document and given as reason why the filing was rejected:
“The mark is a stage name for a living individual whose consent is of record and also provides an acceptable specimen including a flyer promoting the services. The current specimens fail to show the mark used in commerce in connection with the applied-for services. In addition, it fails to function as a service mark as it appears to be the stage name of a deceased wrestler.”
Cody also filed to trademark several WCW PPV names in March of 2019. Earlier this year, he also filed to trademark the name “Cody Rhodes.”
AEW Champion Jon Moxley recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former WWE Superstar discussed a number of topics during his appearance on the show, including his wife Renee Young’s status, the ALL OUT PPV and his ambition to go for the AEW Tag Team Titles.
During the broadcast Jon Moxley would discuss the presentation of AEW programming. “I thought it was tremendous” Moxley began, discussing the recent beatdown of Cody Rhodes at the hands of Brodie Lee and The Dark Order.
Jon Moxley on Brodie Lee
“Obviously I’m a huge fan of Brodie Lee, both personally and professionally. It is awesome that you really never know what you’re gonna see on Dynamite. We’ve kind of thrown the traditional rulebook of television wrestling out the window. You’ll see a little bit everything, but anything can happen. Anybody can show up.”
Jon Moxley elaborated further, saying “whether it’s a Thunder Rosa or an Eddie Kingston? At any moment somebody could show up. [You could get ] a match that last 15 minutes and go through the same, basic formula you’ve seen for the last 10-15 years? Or it could just be a hailstorm and over in three minutes. Anything could happen, you know?”
Moxley has made it clear over ever since he left WWE that he wasn’t looking for their style of heavily scripted professional wrestling any longer. With the style of AEW he clearly feels more comfortable, and he finished by expanding on his praise of the Cody/Brodie Lee angle.
“We really opened up the possibilities, and that’s what I really loved about it. Besides from, you know, just the awesome physicality of it? Cody, he’s a guy who stays on the ball and stays motivated. I anticipate when he comes back? He would I assume want to get that one back from Brodie.”
Did you like the angle between Brodie Lee and Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments
